Despite a high-profile launch at the beginning of the '90s, the celebrity-owned Planet Hollywood restaurant chain has fallen on hard times. But why? Is it that people don't enjoy dining while surrounded by castoff celebrity clothing and used movie props? Of course not. There's money to be made there, to be sure, and if Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Bruce Willis can't do it, maybe you can. With Internet auctions on such sites as eBay and Amazon making a wider variety of second-hand products available to the public, you can start a Hollywood theme restaurant in your own hometown for a fraction of the cost of buying a Planet Hollywood franchise.
Item: Behind-the-scenes items
Price: $9.95+
Suggested Use: When Hollywood dishes out the glitter, it doesn't stop with the stars. Often, the entire crew of a movie gets to wear clothing emblazoned with the film's logo. Now, so can your waitstaff. Who could say no to, "Would you like fries with that?" when it comes from a smiling face, an Event Horizon cap ($9.99), and a Sphere crew T-shirt ($9.95)?
Item: Signed checks
Price: $10+
Suggested Use: What says class better than a check signed by the immortal Angela Lansbury ($5) or The Three Stooges' beloved Curly, Joe DeRita ($21)? These checks are perfect for framing and displaying behind your cash register. You can casually mention the time Jack Haley ($49.99) stopped by for lunch, prompting you to say, "Jack, I'm not made out of tin. Lunch is on the house." Of course, some customers may wonder why Vincent Price's check is made out to the phone company and dated from 1974—not to mention the fact that Price died years before you opened your restaurant—so it's best to keep these where they're not too easy to read.
Item: Costumes and clothing
Price: $15+
Suggested Use: This is where you splurge. Surefire attention-grabbers, celebrity-worn costumes and clothing should be neatly displayed on mannequins in glass cases. Of course, on your modest budget, you probably won't be able to afford A-list celebrity clothing after you've set up the case and mannequins. Not to worry! Even if you can't get John Travolta's white Saturday Night Fever suit, you can buy Malcolm Jamal-Warner's jeans for a mere $100. You may have thought you saw the last of David Spade's lovely lavender shirt when the credits to Lost & Found started to roll, but now, for a mere $64, you can look at it every day. That's probably less than you'd pay for it when shopping for yourself in the store! And just think of how many hardcore Kevin Sorbo fans will make the pilgrimage to your place when they hear you have one of his belts ($227.75) from a little movie called Kull The Conqueror. Other customers may ask, "Hey, what's the deal with those military-style pants?" Just wait until you see the look on their faces when you tell them that those pants ($30) were worn in the X-Files movie—by real extras!
Item: Props
Price: $9.99+
Suggested Use: Let's face it: Your restaurant won't be featuring Dorothy's ruby slippers. The original puppet of Yoda? No way. The ear from Blue Velvet? Uh-uh. But a prop boxing poster from Diggstown for $9.99? Now you're talking! Would you pay $24.99 for a coaster? What if that coaster came from the movie Striptease; would that change your answer? With props like these strewn throughout your restaurant, you can bet it will develop a reputation as a fun place to party or just soak in the glamour while enjoying a nice, quiet meal. Many of the available props come from horror and science-fiction movies, but don't let that slow you down: Squeamish customers may be turned off at first by the grotesque prop head of Jason ($350) from Friday The 13th Part 2, but they'll learn to love it. And if they're really upset, you can always give them money... try some prop money ($9) used in the movie Robocop! You can even name food items after some of your more colorful memorabilia. How about some Texas-style Jalapeño Poppers to go with your genuine chainsaw-scarred truck door ($5,000) from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Just don't forget the golden rule in constructing your own glamorous theme restaurant: Use your imagination.
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